The Rebirth of Buddha 2009

Sayako Amanokawa Ami Koshimizu is a 17-year-old school journalist in Tokyo, finishing an article about her idol, news anchor Mari Kimura Kotono Mitsuishi. When she learns that Tokuzou Kanemoto Hiroki Yasumoto, a reporter she admired, has died by suicide, Sayako begins seeing malevolent spirits everywhere, including Kanemoto’s, which drag her toward the metro where she is saved by her boyfriend, Yuuki Unabara Hiroyuki Yoshino. Sayako recalls that in that fleeting moment she saw Kanemoto judged in the afterlife and glimpsed a hint about the return of Buddha. Yuki not only believes her, but also expands on the nature of human existence and the afterlife, explaining how suicide victims can become malevolent spirits. Sayako asks where his knowledge comes from, but he refuses to elaborate, and his recurring absences strain their relationship.

Sayako is then invited to interview Tousaku Arai Banjo Ginga, the leader of the religious group Sonen who has gained fame by claiming to be Buddha’s reincarnation and by showcasing psychic powers. At Sonen’s temple, Sayako is escorted out by Yuki during the ceremony, and Yuki reveals that Arai is a false prophet while the true Buddha is Master Taiyou Sorano Takehito Koyasu, the head of the TSI group of which he is a member. As they argue, Sayako’s younger brother Shunta Amanokawa Ryoko Shiraishi falls gravely ill due to a demon possession, and their father, Ippei Amanokawa Hirohiko Kakegawa, a doctor, is unable to cure him. Sayako is introduced to the rest of the TSI circle, and to her delight, there is Mari Kimura not only as a follower but as someone Sorano had saved in the past. Sorano is finally revealed to her family, and he performs an exorcism on Shunta, exposing that the demon works for Arai and confirming Sayako’s gift of spirit vision to fulfill a crucial mission. Sorano’s message in his sermons centers on love and selflessness, the very opposite of Arai.

During a festival celebrating Shunta’s recovery, Arai unleashes a psychic-induced collective hallucination of an alien invasion. Yet Sayako, guided by Sorano’s enlightenment, dispels the illusion, turning the supposed alien mothership into a colossal lotus flower. Eyewitness accounts and footage turn Sayako into a national hero, while the public remains skeptical of Sonen’s claims that Arai was behind the crisis and merely trying to manipulate public opinion. In a bold move, Arai unleashes a 200-meter tsunami as a supposed salvation, demanding absolute subservience in exchange for rescue. The truth is slowly uncovered by the TSI, who counter Arai’s mind control by compelling Sayako to speak on live television while channeling Sorano.

Fleeing the press and her mounting fame, Sayako is kidnapped by Arai and taken to a baseball stadium. On a hovering platform, he threats to blow up the crowd unless Sayako publicly proclaims him Buddha. After some hesitation, she declares that Sorano is the real Buddha, prompting Arai to hurl her from the platform. She is rescued by Yuki and the TSI just before a fatal fall, and Sorano arrives to confront Arai, who is revealed to be demon-possessed. A fierce spiritual battle ensues, and the demon is ultimately banished. Arai, now repentant, is forgiven by Sorano, who is revealed to be Buddha to all. Sayako awakens as Yuki professes his love for her, and Sorano discloses that Sayako, Yuki, and the rest of the TSI are reincarnations of his disciples from 2,500 years ago.

The TSI continues spreading Buddha’s teachings around the world, while Arai is imprisoned but grateful for his enlightenment. Sayako returns to journalism, leaving her family home to live with Yuki and pursue her vocation.